Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by dramatic, emotional behavior. According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, symptoms may include:

* Believing you’re better than others

* Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness

* Exaggerating achievements or talents

* Believing you’re special and acting accordingly

* Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings

* Taking advantage of others

* Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior

* Being jealous of others

* Believing others are jealous of you

* Trouble keeping healthy relationships

* Setting unrealistic goals

* Having a fragile self-esteem

Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself you put yourself on a pedestal. You may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You may have a sense of entitlement. And when you don’t receive the special treatment to which you feel entitled, you may become very impatient or angry.

Underneath all this behavior often lies a fragile self-esteem. You have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have a sense of secret shame and humiliation.

When you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may not want to think anything could be wrong — doing so wouldn’t fit with your self-image of power and perfection. You may be generally unhappy and confused by a mix of seemingly contradictory emotions.

If you notice any of these problems in your life, consider reaching out to a trusted health care provider or mental health provider. Getting the right treatment can help make your life more rewarding and enjoyable. (These descriptions are also courtesty of the Mayo Clinic.)

Hopefully, Isiah Thomas will absorb all of the above, recognize how much of it applies to him and seek professional help.

I propose this, not cruelly or to feed the frenzy of an offended coliseum crowd craving the snuffing of a tormented gladiator, but out of concern for an old, occasionally untrustworthy friend clearly in need of help . . . someone I’ve defended and prosecuted with equal zeal . . . heavily endorsed as Pacers coach to Donnie Walsh when everyone else warned against his hiring . . . worked and partied alongside throughout our NBC studio years together.

What other feasible conclusion can be reached following Thomas’ flurry of far-fetched, contentious contentions over the last few days to coiled media members practiced at exploiting an especially vulnerable headline-making mark when he presents himself?

First thing you learn about public speaking is the importance of knowing your audience.

Why would Thomas plead his ignoble case before a jury that long ago judged him insufferable and inept when he had (the operative word and tense) compulsive-repulsive James Dolan lopsidedly on his side?

Why would Thomas chance estranging the sole person whose belief in him counts for real in terms of ever again being eminently employed by the Knicks?

Why would Thomas — just because he’s no longer cashing Camp Cablevision checks, through no fault of Dolan, whose effort to utilize him as a consultant was overruled by David Stern — alert the media he was available for comment regarding touchy topics? Expressly considering Larry Brown’s unwillingness or inability to control his larynx around inquiring minds got him axed and his remaining salary arbitrated down many millions?

Why would Thomas reveal other organizational landfills, such as his unimaginable preference to appoint Bill Laimbeer as coach over Next Town Brown, Dolan’s choice? And we thought Jammin’ James didn’t know Bo Diddley about basketball.

I can just hear Ed Lover on his next YouTube video ranting, “Come on, son!”

Forget about disclosing privileged information, how could Thomas rationally believe Laimbeer, who worked well with (WNBA) women, a major plus in the Garden environment, I’ll give him that, was better suited to reconstruct such a shanty team, something Brown is renowned for doing.

Did Brown confess to doing a poor job, as Thomas stressed? Yes. But this is the same person infamous for blaming himself and others in the same sentence without even a comma.

Why would Thomas take “credit” for such a harebrained inspiration? Why would he submit Brown was guilty for including Trevor Ariza in the Steve Francis trade? How can that be when personnel decisions were his responsibility?

Such delusional talk is as tortuous as his genius plot in 2004 to recruit LeBron James for the Knicks, as if nobody else knew he would be a free agent in 2010.

Why would Thomas claim, had he still been in charge, he could’ve pulled off the coup when Nets minority owner Jay-Z, fast friends with LeBron, couldn’t get him to New Jersey and eventually “Kings” County?

Why would Thomas believe he could persuade LeBron to come to New York when he couldn’t get so much as an audience with Pope Impious I when dispatched to Cleveland as Dolan’s dubbed emissary?